Agency Dictionary
Brainstorming
nounPronunciation: /ˈbreɪn.stɔːr.mɪŋ/
In Portuguese: Brainstorming
Creativity & LearningWhat does “Brainstorming” mean?
A group creativity technique aimed at finding a conclusion or novel concept through spontaneous idea generation.
Etymology
From brainstorm, a compound of brain and storm. In the 19th century a brainstorm was a sudden mental disturbance, a fit; in American English it later came to mean a sudden bright idea. The sense of a meeting in which a group produces ideas freely, without criticism, spread from American advertising around the middle of the 20th century and is associated with the books of the advertising executive Alex Osborn.
Usage note
Brainstorm is both the verb (to brainstorm ideas) and a noun for the session or for a sudden idea; brainstorming names the activity.
Synonyms
- ideation
- idea generation
- spitballing
Word family
- brainstorm
- brainstormer
- brain
- storm
Usage examples
I love participating in brainstorming sessions and exploring all possible aspects of something new or existing.
Concept
Source editions
Where this entry comes from in the Agency editorial.
Words of the same theme
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Also from these editions: terms
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